America has always billed itself as a land of opportunity, where anyone with grit and a dream could succeed. Perhaps because my ancestors were slaves, I have always been aware of the American Dream’s invisible asterisk. In ways big and…
Oregon's legislature is considering a fascinating, and controversial, bill to remove certain local controls over development in favor of new, faster development and higher density. The Atlantic's "City Lab" reports: H.B. 2007 would preempt residential downzoning in cities, meaning a…
In the report we released last week detailing our recommendations for redesigning Michigan’s education system, we target a range of areas for reform. From curriculum and pedagogy to funding and accountability, just about every facet of our education system calls…
It was an honor to serve as a member of Governor Snyder's Building the 21st Century Economy Commission. Its report is really worth reading. Thanks in large part to the leadership of Detroit Regional Chamber CEO Sandy Baruah, the Commission…
Most jobs now and in the future will not be high skill. And therefore will not be high paid. That is the fundamental shift that has occurred in our economy over the past several decades. The high-paid, low-education-attainment jobs that…
At the core of our agenda for raising Michiganders’ household income is the conviction that human capital is the asset that matters most to individual and state economic well-being. We agree with Governor Snyder when he wrote in his Special…
Our new report, A Path to Good-paying Careers for all Michiganders, recommends big changes in state economic policy. The need for such an agenda is clear. In the seventh year of a national economic expansion––and an even stronger rebound from…
Our new report, A Path to Good-paying Careers for all Michiganders: A 21st Century State Policy Agenda, is about state policy. Our motivation in doing our first ever policy agenda is a sense of urgency that across the political spectrum…
The new Michigan Association of United Ways ALICE report (for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), makes clear that Michigan is facing severe structural economic challenges. In the seventh year of a national economic expansion––and an even stronger rebound from near…